Termites, and relates pests, constitute a significant economic threat in a modern society. While conventional insecticides, typically chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chlordane, DDT, aldrin, dieldrin and BHC can be effectively utilized to eradicate these pests, such insecticides pollute water, contaminate soil, and are toxic to many life forms. Chlordane is the only chlorinated hydrocarbon that has not yet been banned, principally because a suitable substitute having its effectiveness has yet to be found. However, it still accumulates in the environment and causes food chain elimination since, for instance, an earthworm may be resistant to its poison, but the bird which consumes many such earthworms may die or be rendered infertile. An environmentally inactive chemical is thus needed to obviate food chain problems. While the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides are economical to produce, the cost of the resulting environmental cleanup makes their use expensive in the long run. Thus, there exists a substantial need for new environmentally safe and effective pesticides.
For a pesticide to be effective against termites and related pests it must have a somewhat delayed onset of activity. Termites typically feast upon a food supply and then return to their nest and regurgitate the food to be shared by those occupying the nest. Thus, a pesticide which instantly destroys the feeding termites has absolutely no effect upon those hatching on the nest. While the feeding termites are affected, those in the nest continue to multiply and thus the infestation remains. A delayed onset of toxic effects would allow for the insects to return poisoned food to the entire colony and thereby poison all the occupants. Thus, in addition to high toxicity, an effective termite poison must have a delayed onset of activity and be easily transferable to other members of a given colony.
Furthermore, an effective pesticide must possess the more subtle characteristic of not only being a "non-repellent", but should most advantageously be an "attractant". This simply means that a feeding termite would not prefer another food source over the poisoned source and ideally would even prefer the poisoned source over a regular food supply.
Additional characteristics of an ideal pesticide would be nonleachability, i.e., poor solubility in water, and stability, i.e., not readily degraded in the soil.